Latch



Dec. 3o, 1924. 1,521,572

S. HAMMER ET AL LATCH Filed March 4. 1920 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

YORK, A CORPORATIONv OF. NEW YORK,

y .1,521,572 PATENT- oF-FICE. i'

SAM HAMMER, OF NEW YORK, AND DAVID POSTAL, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, fis.l sIGNoRs TO'UNIT'ED METAL 'Box COMPANY, IINC.,v OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW

LATCH. Y

application mea March 4, 19270.v serial No. 363,133..

.To all whom tmc/.y concern.'

Be it known that-we, SAM 'HAMMEM a citizen of Russia, and resident of the borough of the Bronx, county of thevBronx, city and State of New York, and DAVID' POSTAL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in latches, and while the invention is capable of general application', it is particularly intended for use upon the covers of metal boxes, as for instance, electric cut-out boxes, medicine cabinets, etc. A primary ,object of the invention is to provide such a latch which will be of simple and durable construction and will not readily get out of order, and which may be assembled and attached with great facility, economy and requiring very little time. We propose to provide a latch which may be economically proved handle construction which vwill enstamped to shape having but few simple parts, and will not require drilling or tapping of screw threads, both of which operations arev expensivek andtime consumlng.. The latch is especiallyintended to be placed f.

interiorly of the box, the operating handle being exteriorly, and with this in view, we

propose toprovide a latch of very flat' construction, so that the space withinthe box will not-be obstructed to any great extent.

A further object is to provide a latch which will be free of pivotal parts, Vand which may be welded in place upon the cover or other supporting structure to the.

end that after attachment, the box may be painted and the paint will not interfere with the operation of the latch.V

A still further object is to provide an imable the same to be readily removed when shipping so that the cover of the box will be substantially flat to .permit of stacking of the boxes one upon the other, and which, when desired, Y may be placed in reversed position interiorly ofthe box and so secured as to lock the latchV in inoperative position. It is also proposed to provide ya latch which Y may be conveniently operated when the handle is removed.

With these and other objects `in view, em-

Fig. 4c is a similar view showing the latch bolt retracted;

Fig. 5 is a front Fig. 3;

Fig. A6 shows the handley inv reversed position interiorly of the box; f

Fig. 7 shows a modified form of construction with the handle in reversed position interiorly ofthe box and adapted to positively lock the bolt retracted; Fig. 8'is a top plan view of the casing; Fig.V 9 is a topplan view of the bolt;l Fig-10 is aside-view of the bolt; and

j upon the latch'to retain the parts together a boxprog end viewiof the latch i. partly In section, along thel line 5--5 of Fig. 11 is a transverse vertical sectional when provided asa detached unit from the box cover. -1

Similar reference characters indicate vcorresponding parts throughout the severalgures of the drawings. Y

Referringto thev drawings, the latch according to the'present embodiment of our invention, comprises a ycasing preferably stampedfrom sheet metal, and consisting of a flat rectangularbase l() having upturned longitudinal-rand end1 sides, the longitudinal sides being 'bent into laterally extending` ears l1 -and12,.having their upper surfaces flat and 'in `the same lateral plane and slightly above theupper 4edgesofthe ends of the casing tovinsure the fiat snug engagement of the ears with vthe inner surface of 'the cover, and to which they are adapted to be secured after the assembling ofthe bolt,

to' bev presently referred to, by electric spot kwelds 13 and 14;.A y y l ing the recesses 16 and 17.

' vreline-d direction upwardly as at 29 to form Y f face of the cover where it supports 'the knob there areprovided end recesses or cut-outs Y casing interiorly, while at its rear end there is provided a longitudinal slot 23 embrac- 1n the front end ofthe casing there is provided an intermediate.rectangular shaped recess or cut-out 15, while 1n the rear end ing the guide'portion 18, the leg portions 211 and 25 at each side th'ereof'slidably ,engag- At the base of the slot 23 there is formed. a downwardly turned lug or abutment 26,*b`etween which `and the portion 18, there is disposed a coil spring 27 supported against longitudinal collapse by the sides ofthe slot and adapted to yieldingly retain the bolt projected with Yits shoulders 21V and 22 abutted by the front end of the casing.

VThe forward vend ofthe bolt is bent vertically downwardly as at 28, and in an ma beveled nosev terminating below the upper surface of the bolt and adapted in the projected position to engage beneath the angular catch or striker 30 provided upon the front of the box and; preferably secured by an electric spot weld as at 31. During closing, the inclined under surface of 'the nose 29 engages the catch, cammin'g the bolt back, being projected intoV latching relation with the catch when the cover is fully-closed.

The bolt is providedbetween the neck 20 and the slot'23 with a shouldered aperture '32, the shoulder 33 being in the form of an upstanding annulus preferably formed from the metal punched upv from the aperiture during stamping.' The shoulder eX- tends through a slot34-formedgin the cover, and terminatesslightly above the upper suror handle secured'by a screw 36 extending upwardly through the aperturef32, itsv head being larger in diameter than the aper- 'tureV and engaging the under side ofthe 'l-bolt. vThe screw is inserted through a slot Y 37 formed: in the casing and which is of suitable size to permit of the insertion of a screw driverfto tighten or removethe screw'.

f The space c between the upper surface of the'bolt and 'the inner'side of the cover, and thespacef?) beneath the knob, permit of free and unobstructed movement of the bolt.

. The ibase of ,the 'knob lmaybe such( size as substantially to cover the'slot 34 in thecover so that when the boX is closed only the knob will be seen, presenting a very neat appearance.

VifhenA shipping the boxes, it is desirable that they be free of obstructions such for instance as the knob so'that they `may be conveniently stacked one upon the other. 'ifo this end, the knob and its retaining screw may be readily removed, in which case Vthe slight project-ion of the shoulder will permit of operation of the bolt with the finger, and if desired, the knob may be reversed in position'as shown in 6. `When so reversed, it may be utilized as a locking means to hold the bolt retracted by simply moving the bolt to retracted position, and tightening the knob against the casing.

In Fig.V 7, we have illustrated a slightly Vmodified form of construction in which the casing is provided with two holes 3S and 30, the first being relatively large 'and in register with the aperture 32 in the projected position, and the latter of smaller diameter and in register with the said aperture in its rctractedposition. The hole 38 permits of insertion and removal vofthe screw 36 in fastening and removing the knob in its normal position, while the hole 39 is for the purpose of insertion of the screw inverted and in the retracted position of the bolt, the knob being screwed thereon and thereby retaining the bolt positively in its retracted position. f

In Fig.'11, Vwe have shown a further modified form in which the casing is provided with a cover plate 40 Vsecured tothe ears 11 and 12V bypwe'lding or other suitablemeans, Vand Vretains the parts together vwhen the latch is furnished as a unit detached from the cover of the box. Y

1t will be understood that the latch may be securedto the cover of the box by screws if desired, and when spot weldiing apparatus is not available. vWith our improvements, la latch isV provided accomplishing with efficiency theobjects desired and which is simple in construction, convenient to assemble and economical tomanufacturc.

We have illustrated and described pre- Vferred and satisfactory embodiments of our invention, but it'is obvious thatV changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof as definediin the appended claims.

We claim mounted in the casing and cooperating with a catch on the boX,vv means to yieldingly pro- Iiect the bolt, said casing having-a slot in its lbase coinciding with the Aslot in the cover,

said bolt having a Yboss projecting out throughtheslot in the coveryand af two part separable operating'member reversibly as-y sooiated With said bolt and seoured to said boss and in one position through the boss and the slots in said lid. and the base of the casing. Y

2. An improved latch for slotted box lids and the like comprising a sheet metal casing of substantially flat construction composed of a base and integral side and end Walls of relatively shallow depth bent upwardly from the base and having portions adapted to lie against and be secured to the inner face of the lid, said front and rear Walls having guide slots therein, a bolt slidable in said guide slots, spring means Within the casing for normally projecting the bolt,

vsaid bolt also having a hollow boss extending out through and slidingY in the'slot in the lid, the base of the casing having a slot in registry With the lid slot, a reversible knob for operating the latch bolt, and a fastening member for the knob in one position to pass through the slot in the lid, the holloiv boss, and the slot in the base of the casing.

3. A latch comprising a casing adapted to be secured to an apertured cover of a receptacle or the like, said casing being provided With an opening extending in registry With the aperture in the cover and said casing provided With a guide, a bolt disposed in the casing and slidably mounted in the guide and having an open ended passage in registry both with the aperture in the cover and the opening in said casing, and a two-part operating member having one part thereon adapted to extend through the aperture of the cover, `the passage of the bolt and the opening in the casing, said two-part operating member adapted to secure the bolt in adjusted position.

4. A latch comprising a casing adapted to be secured to anapertured cover of a receptacle or the like, said casing provided with said casing, and a reversible'operating meinber adapted to lie in oneposition through the aperture in the cover, the passage in said `bolt and the opening in the'casing and to be tightened against the casing to hold the bolt in an adjusted position against the in- Huence of said resilientmeans.

1 In Vtestimony that We claim the foregoing as our invention, We have signed our names hereunder, l

SAM HAMMER. DAVID POSTAL. 

